“Outsole” is a term often used to describe bottom portions of a shoe sole structure. An outsole, or various parts of the outsole, will typically contact the ground when a shoe wearer stands or when the wearer walks or otherwise moves relative to the ground. In sports and other activities, a person's foot positioning may vary greatly, as necessary to support and/or transfer that person's weight appropriately, during a range of different body motions. An outsole designed to enhance performance during one type of motion, related to a given activity such as a sport, may not be ideal for different types of motions related to that activity. For example, some types of outsole elements may help increase traction and/or stability when a shoe wearer walks or traverses various types of surfaces and grades. However, that same shoe may also be worn when performing other activities that do not require the same type of forward-propelling effort, but instead require an effective weight-transferring effort. During those other activities, involving a body motion that differs from motions experienced while walking, it may be more desirable to stabilize the wearer's foot with outsole elements specific for that body motion.
Golf is one example of an activity in which a person's feet repeatedly experience different types of motions and must support a variety of body positions. A golfer may spend large amounts of time walking. Much of that walking may be over uneven surfaces, surfaces that might be slippery due to moisture, and/or surfaces that vary greatly in texture, including granular surfaces such as sand. It may therefore be desirable to include outsole elements that can increase traction when moving across a variety of surfaces. In addition, however, the technique a golfer uses to swing a club is major determinant of that golfer's overall success. In this regard, proper foot placement, movement, stability, and traction are all important aspects of a golf swing. Due to the basic differences in foot conformations needed for walking motions, compared to those needed for golf club swinging motions, outsoles that increase fraction while walking a golf course may not be optimal for stabilizing a wearer's feet while swinging a golf club.